(This is for the Speedwell Forge Lake which is right next door to the actual park itself.)…read more If you are so inclined for a little light reading and/or mapery, see the below for all of the technical necessaries regarding the lake. pfbc.maps.arcgis.com/apps/webappviewer/index.html?id=c3a9b1eef46b4ebe85bf2c883fa7f73e&center=-76.30666700%2c40.20333300&level=13 co.lancaster.pa.us/DocumentCenter/View/521/Speedwell-Forge-Park-Location-Map?bidId= www.fishandboat.com/About-Us/PFBC-by-Region/PFBC-Lakes/Pages/SpeedwellForgeLake.aspx Looking for a new place put the kayaks in the water is what led us here. Why? To me, the lake is big enough to give you some interesting things to see and explore, but not too big that you can't see it all in a few hours. There are two docks you can launch from - one on either side of Brubaker Valley Road. It was mid-morning on a weekday and there were seven or eight other kayaks out there (mostly people fishing) and a few small boats that were also fishing. Plenty of wildlife with a Bald Eagle, a deer, a few Blue Heron and fish constantly jumping out of the water. At the far west end of the lake, where it gets shallow and you come to where it gets fed by the Hammer Creek, you expect to see a lot of ducks, turtles, frogs and since you're at the side of the Speedwell Forge Wolf Sanctuary - you can hear some barking & howling and even catch a few glimpses through the trees of a few of the residents running around. Fwiw, I can imagine that on weekends, this place getting very crowded and while it does have some size to it, compared to some other county/state parks, it's not that big. But for a weekday, it was more than fine. Beautiful. Peaceful. What more could you want?

This is a great place to go kayaking and fishing. Looks easy enough to navigate putting in even if…read moreyou are a beginner. First time here, apparently it's been recently drained and restocked. Lots of kayaks and canoes laying in the grassy areas, leading to a sense of serenity and safety, which is refreshing. Beautiful views & lots of wildlife all leading to a peaceful relaxing experience.

It's my fiancés and my favorite park!!! We got engaged here!!! They have a beautiful creek,…read morewildlife, and flowers!! Lots of trails!! Just beautiful!!!

Quittie Park I have to say is a pretty cool park, even though I didn't get the opportunity to…read moreexplore the whole park. I can't speak for everything, but the place is very scenic with a couple of trails. One of the trails I took followed a stream for most of the journey and had hills to the opposite side of the stream. There are no views to be seen at this part - instead, the surroundings are pretty to look at. Another trail I checked out had a gravel path that lead uphill to an open field that appeared to be a school. Not much of any highlight in this part, but instead turned around seen there wasn't much to be seen. The map is hard to follow, so be sure to take a photo to make sure in you're in the right place. Another visit will indeed take a long time, but it killed time to check it out.

During my "killing time" hours, I decided to check this park out. The name sounds pretty ironic and…read morefunny, but this park is filled with a lot of walking space, a lake, a playground, and a pavilion. It's awesome to see how clean the park is, and the time they put into it. There are a couple of panic tables scattered throughout the park along with charcoal grills. The paths are easy to follow and travel within the park making it easy to not get lost. This is a great community to get together with people, and no doubt it's a great place to come to. In the area, make this stop at Lions Lake Park.

Really awesome park! A variety of pavilions. Really liked the band shell one. Nice band shell…read more Acceptable bathrooms. The pool looked REALLY awesome (and had a slide!). Charcoal grills. Clean grounds. Cute playground. No frills mini golf. Glider swings. Really nice. The reason for my one star reduction: 1) Someone hiccuped when it came to labeling our pavilion. We rented the band shell pavilion....which had our family name on it....but a smaller pavilion right by the entrance also had our name on it. So we had a bit of raised blood pressure and scramble when we arrived. Fortunately, the proper pavilion had our name on it, and all was easy breezy thereafter. 2) You have to take your trash with you, instead of them having an area with dumpsters. Still, we'd book her again in a heartbeat, and recommend that you consider them for your events!

The Coleman park is on 99 acres of land so there's lot to walk around and see. The coolest part I…read moresaw was a BMX track with jumps and courses that looks very fun in the nicer weather. Two huge dog park to separate the big & small dogs which is very considerate. Lots of open space for public events or gatherings with family. Playground, swings, awnings & shaded areas to relax or do yoga are through the park. Big parking lot makes it easy to get out and enjoy the outdoors. Easily top of the list of greatest parks so far.

Love this place but disappointed that the wildlife drive closed on 9/30 for the season before…read moremigration. I was traveling with someone who cannot walk the trails and the drive is a great opportunity for them.

Very pretty and well managed area. There's many places to pull off to here, and lots of different…read moretrails. Lots of wildlife too. At the moment, they have multiple signs up warning about the bird flu, so a few different areas are blocked off. You can still enjoy a good bit of it though, very scenic and such a large park to explore. Also great just to drive through and see the nature.

I visited the Cornwall Iron Furnace for the first time during their 345th Charter Day celebration,…read moreand I'm so glad I finally made the trip. This historic site had been on my list for a while, and with the beautiful weather and special event happening that day, it felt like the perfect time to go. Interestingly, I had only learned about the iron furnace a few months ago. I've always been fascinated by history especially the processes behind how things were made so visiting a place like this was incredibly intriguing. Seeing such an important piece of industrial history still standing today really makes you appreciate the ingenuity and craftsmanship of the people who built and operated it centuries ago. My group tour started at 12:45 PM and lasted a little over an hour. One thing I really appreciated was that we got to hear from several different volunteer guides throughout the tour rather than just one person leading the entire time. Each guide shared their own knowledge and perspective about different parts of the furnace and its operation. They were all incredibly informative and made the history easy to understand, even if you're not familiar with iron production. By the end of the tour, I honestly felt like I had learned dozens of fascinating facts about early iron-making, the daily lives of the workers, and how complex the entire process was. Workers often had 12-hour shifts to keep the furnace operating, which really highlights the amount of labor and coordination required. Standing inside the furnace structure itself was a unique experience. Even though it was warm outside, it actually felt noticeably cooler inside the building, which was surprising. You could really see the age of the structure and imagine the incredible amount of work that went into building and maintaining it. A few helpful things to know before you visit: Parking: Because of the Charter Day event, we were able to park directly on the property near the furnace building. However, there is also additional parking across the street and slightly down a hill, which requires crossing the road to reach the site. Restrooms are located inside the Welcome Center, where the gift shop is located. These appeared to be the only bathrooms on the property. Visitor tips: *Wear comfortable shoes, as there are stairs involved during the tour. *No food or drinks are allowed during the tour. *Plan to spend about an hour or a little more if you take the guided tour. Overall, this was a really enjoyable and educational experience. It gave me a much deeper appreciation for the hard work, skill, and innovation that went into early American industry. If you enjoy history, learning how things are made, or exploring unique historic sites in Pennsylvania, visiting the Cornwall Iron Furnace is absolutely worth adding to your list. Highly recommend taking the guided tour you'll walk away learning far more than you expect.

Built in 1742 and in use until 1883, the Cornwall Iron Furnace is "the only surviving intact…read morecharcoal cold-blast furnace in the Western Hemisphere." I absolutely love history and history museums and loved everything about it. My girlfriend, 11-year-old son and I visited on a Saturday afternoon on a trip to Harrisburg and Hershey. We took the tour and definitely got our money's worth ($18 for the three of us which included a AAA discount)! Started with a 15 minute video, then a guided tour by Beth which lasted over an hour, during which we got to see the furnace from all angles. Beth was very knowledgeable and also very patient with my son's many questions. The property also boasts a small museum and gift shop in the building that formerly housed the operation's charcoal. The gift shop is excellent. Among other things they have a range of cast iron products, as well as many cookbooks with suggested uses. This was an excellently run museum that I can definitely recommend to others who enjoy American history.

This well maintained park is perfect for a day visit to either play on the playground equipment or…read morewalk the beautiful grounds. Several pavilions and bathroom facilities make it a perfect place to hold family gatherings. The lodge has a functioning kitchen, large social area and bathrooms. Overnight stay is available. The lodge doesn't have air conditioning.

This place is huge. Lots of pavilions that you can reserve and use…read more There're a couple of playgrounds. 1 big one on the top and the other is smaller on the bottom part of the park. They have tennis courts, volleyball court and a couple of vending machines. 2 different places of restrooms. Big field that you can bring the whole army to play soccer, baseball. Down on the bottom, you'll find pond with lots of fishes and turtles. BUT no fishing! They also have at least 3 different trails. They also have basketball court too! And a couple of pavilions. Also lots of picnic tables. It is a fun places to get together and also just go for the day. It is an awesome place! Must check it out.

I picked this park due to the convenience where I'm staying, and this came up. It's easy finding…read morethe location, but the signage needs to be fixed and improved on Miller Street. Also, there is another entrance located on Theatre Drive. There is plenty of parking in both lots, even when it gets packed. The majority of the park sits right at a lake, with a path that does a complete loop around the lake. The views are pretty nice, with two sections going past a couple of houses, a bridge that crosses the dam (the main highlight), and also a big field. Finally, in the main parking lot, there is also an opening that heads close to the lake, providing two docks. Picnic tables are also provided in the park as a plus. Something that should be addressed is keeping the dock clean because it is covered with you know what?! Pennsylvania is a beautiful state if only I lived closer.

This is a nice park with a lake & camping spots. The only bad thing is the walkways are dirt, not…read moregravel & inconsiderate people let their dogs do their business without cleaning it up. Otherwise it's all good.